Roads closed, gas rationed as snow shuts Valley

Widespread snowfall during the last three days has reduce off the Kashmir Valley and led to blocked roads and energy outages and, for the primary time in a long time, rationing of gas.
The snow has led to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu nationwide freeway, and suspension of passenger flights. While over 12 inches of snow has been recorded in north Kashmir’s plains, south Kashmir has seen as much as 5 toes of snow.
The Jammu & Kashmir administration has ordered rationing of vehicle and cooking fuels within the Valley. Two-wheelers can stand up to three litres of gas, personal automobiles can get 10 litres, and business automobiles 20 litres.
“LPG cylinder shall be issued to the consumer only after 21 days against proper acknowledgment and receipt”, says a authorities order. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir P Okay Pole has ordered strict adherence to the rationing measures.
“On the one hand, the administration is saying they are fully prepared for the winter and have enough stocks, and on the other hand, consumers have towait for three weeks to get a gas cylinder,” Srinagar resident Firdous Ahmad Mir stated.
“I have heard about rationing of fuel for the first time,” Mir stated. “The [Srinagar-Jammu] road would remain closed for a week at most. Does it (rationing) mean that they don’t have stocks to last even a week?”

The snow and the federal government’s seeming failure to anticipate challenges regardless of the meteorological division’s warning of heavy to very heavy snow, have thrown life fully out of substances within the Valley and angered individuals. Many roads have been blocked for 3 days.
On Tuesday, the federal government made a number of appeals to individuals to remain indoors in order that roads might be cleared. However, an examination to recruit Banking Associates for Jammu and Kashmir Bank has not been deferred, and a number of other candidates in Kashmir have been unable to seem, fuelling allegations of regional discrimination.
The Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering, a authorities division tasked with clearing the principle highways of Jammu and Kashmir, stated the failure to take away the snow was as a consequence of a “tactical” mistake.
“Basically, we cleared the roads during the night. We had been told that the weather will clear up by early Wednesday morning, so we put all the machinery and men on the job during the night,” Chief Engineer Rashid Ahmad instructed The Indian Express. “After we cleared the roads, there was heavy snowfall in the morning. I admit, it was a tactical area. We couldn’t strategise properly, which caused some problems.”

Many village roads and lanes remained beneath snow on Wednesday night. At a number of locations, individuals complained that sufferers and pregnant girls needed to stroll for kilometres to achieve hospitals. J&Okay Police stated that they had carried a number of sufferers to hospital on foot.
Power provide to town and cities was restored comparatively rapidly, however a number of villages in south Kashmir continued to be darkish and chilly.
“Electricity was restored today (Wednesday) evening after 24 hours,” stated Akash Ahmad, a resident of Imam Sahib Shopian. “But there are many villages nearby which are still without electricity supply.”